O'Neil outsmarts Ange as Wolves dent Spurs' top-four hopes
Wolverhampton Wanderers' Joao Gomes (right) celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game during the Premier League match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London. Picture: Kieran Cleeves/PA Wire
JOAO GOMES scored twice as Wolves put a huge dent in Tottenham's Champions League ambitions with their second win in London in the space of a fortnight.
Having thrashed Chelsea 4-2 two weeks ago, Wolves were good value for their victory at Tottenham, who looked well below their best and slipped out of the top four after Aston Villa won at Fulham.
While Ange Postecoglou's team huffed and puffed with little real cutting edge, Wolves counter-attacked superbly and took their chances clinically. It was another masterclass from manager Gary O'Neil, who is rapidly gaining a reputation as a smart thinker, and the only mystery is why Wolves are so inconsistent.
Their win at Chelsea was followed by a home defeat by struggling Brentford, yet they looked full of confidence against Tottenham, who have now lost four times at home in the league.
Wolves looked sharper from the start and deservedly took the lead shortly before half-time with the simplest of goals. Richarlison needlessly conceded a corner, and when Pablo Sarabia swung the ball in from the right, Gomes was unmarked seven yards from goal and directed his header into the far corner of the net.
The goal had been coming, with Spurs failing to make the most of their possession in the opposition half, while Wolves were excellent on the break, using the speed of Hee Chan Hwang and guile of Gomes to unsettle Tottenham's backline, which was without Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro.
The absence of their first-choice full-backs should not have had such a negative impact on their attacking play, but just as in the previous few home games, Spurs could not get going.
Heung Min Son, restored to the starting lineup for the first time this year, was quiet on the left wing, Richarlison was clumsy at centre-forward, and James Maddison was surprisingly ineffective.
Jose Sa barely had a save to make in the first-half, but was culpable when Dejan Kulusevski equalised a minute after the break.
The Swede ran on to a loose ball on the right of the penalty area, sold Craig Dawson a dummy, and then slid a precise but not powerful shot through Sa's legs. The ball barely hit the back of the net.
Spurs showed more energy than they had in the first half, but looked vulnerable to the swift counter-attacks of their opponents. Guglielmo Vicario had to make a marvellous save to deny Sarabia's first-time shot from a low Nelson Semedo cross, and at the opposite end, Sa dived full-length to tip away a low shot from Kulusevski.
It was no great surprise when Wolves regained the lead in the 63rd minute, again from swift counter-attacking play.
From a Tottenham corner, Yves Bissouma lost possession, Pedro Neto sprinted away on the right, got to the Spurs byline and cut a perfect pass into the path of Gomes, who swept the ball home 12 yards.
Chances came and went at both ends. Maddison shot over the bar, Emerson Royal had a low shot saved and Micky Van de Ven sent a tame header into Sa's arms, and deep into stoppage time, Ben Davies sent a header wide from a central position.
It was Tottenham's last chance, and Wolves hung on for another impressive victory in the capital.
Vicario 6; Emerson 5, Romero 6, Van de Ven 7, Davies 6; Sarr 6, Bissouma 6; Kulusevski 6, Maddison 6, Son 5; Richarlison 4.
5-3-2 Sa 7; Semedo 7, Kilmer 6, Dawson 7, Toti 6, Ait-Nouri 7; Sarabia 7, Lemina 7, Gomes 8; Hwang 7, Neto 7
Referee: Anthony Taylor 6
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